Inspiring People

Sealed Mysteries/Little Tyke Murder Mysteries are popular murder stories for kids.

First Came the Hardbacks

I first wrote these books - Fishing for Clues, Stealing the Show, Pushing his Luck and Pointing the Finger more than ten years ago. Scholastic Children's books commissioned me to write four murder mysteries for the 8-12 readership. They all had a 'sealed' pull-out chapter at the end, revealing who the murderer was and a final chapter.

The plotting and planning of each story had to be meticulous, as all the characters had to look as if they could have done the crime. I had to give them all a motive, the opportunity and the ability to have done the dastardly deed. So clues and red herrings had to be strategically placed.

Family Inspiration

The idea for Fishing for Clues came about when my brother bought an abandoned narrow boat, which still contained the previous owner's possessions. I remember him telling me this and I immediately said, “Thanks, Eddie, you've just given me a great idea for a story.”

I kept the boat's name the same, so the Baloo from Fishing for Clues, is still cruising the canals to this day.

The idea for 'Stealing the Show' came from watching Saturday morning TV and having a friend who was in a band. Also my daughter was a big fan of a particular boy band at the time, so all these ideas just rolled together to make this story.

Pushing his Luck came after the editor suggested a story set in a block of flats.Travelling home from London on a coach after having this conversation with her I found myself snatching glimpses of people's lives through their brightly illuminated flat windows. The germ of an idea had begun by the time I got home.

The fourth book in that series, Pointing the Finger never came out as a Sealed Mystery in the end due to a financial decision at the publishers. So being able to bring it out as an ebook is very exciting.

The Need for Change

Obviously kindle books can't have pull-out chapters, so I had to come with with a new series title for the books. I wanted people to know they are murder mysteries – so those words needed to be in the title, and then I searched for a word to indicate that the books were for young readers.

Using a Childhood Memory

Casting my mind way back to when I was a child, I remembered my brothers and I being yelled at along the lines of... “Oye! You little tykes, you!” (Obviously they were referring to one of my brothers, not me!)

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

I also thought it would be nice to have a series logo, so asked my six year old granddaughter, Megan, to have her photo taken in cap, baseball boots, baggy shorts and skateboard. The photos were 'photo-shopped' to give her a nice cartoony appearance, and we were all set - my four whodunnits available to a new generation of readers!

For More Information:

Ann runs workshops and visits local schools to develop a love of reading in young children.

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